Renowned Survivors Workshop Goes on National Road Tour for The Meadows

October 19, 2011 (Wickenburg, Arizona) - The Survivors Workshop pioneered by The Meadows trauma and addiction treatment center is in the middle of their National Road Tour and seeing great success. This weeklong workshop investigates the origins of adult dysfunctional behaviors by exploring early childhood trauma that has led to various addictions, depression, eating disorders and painful relationships.

There was popular demand for the Survivors Workshops and requests from referring professionals to bring the successful program to their cities. The Workshop Tour started in July in Malibu, California. In August, the program moved to Chattanooga, TN on the way to New York City for two different sessions.

"As a leader in the field of trauma and addiction treatment, we've seen the amazing success of our Survivors Workshop at our Wickenburg facility," said Jim Dredge, CEO of The Meadows. "We have a history of responding to the needs of our patients and referral sources; taking the Survivors Workshop on the road was just answering that need."

The workshops are provided in partnership with local counselors who invite their clients to participate, but they are open to anyone. For the task of taking these workshops to several cities, Dredge selected Michael Cooter, MSSW, LCSW, a licensed private practitioner who also serves as a Facilitator and Director at The Meadows.

"We partner with local professionals who understand The Meadows’ model and how it can help their patients," said Cooter. "But we're also able to expose those patients to The Meadows' treatment approach if they should need further, focused care."

"Partnering with The Meadows for the Survivors Malibu was a no brainer for One to One Treatment," said Ray Santamaria, Executive Director and Founder, One to One Treatment. "Every client we referred to Survivors Malibu gained a deeper understanding of their 'core' areas. They benefitted tremendously from the experiential component of the workshop and Michael's expertise in this area."

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Renowned Survivors Workshop (page 2)

Critical to successful treatment of addiction is getting at the heart of the cause for those destructive behaviors. For many, the adult dysfunction stems from some sort of trauma or emotional event from their childhood. This workshop gives participants the opportunity to freely explore the event(s), process those emotions and learn to better cope with it.

"Patients basically are able to identify, process, and release the trauma; which is both eye-opening and emotionally cathartic," explained Cooter. "Most often I hear comments from patients saying that after the workshop 'there is a profound shift within me' and 'I get it, now I can connect the dots'. This is what it's all about, helping patients get to the root of the problem in an honest, accepting, non-judgmental way."

In this revolutionary educational and experiential process, participants learn to identify and address family-related issues that took place from birth to 17 years of age. The primary focus of the workshop is to learn to deal with the emotions that accompany any less-than-nurturing past event, and then to work on resolution of the consequential grief and anguish.

Completion of the workshop often results in a kick start to further treatment. Participants may continue that work with their local resource, or determine that they need more robust therapy.

According to Cooter, many individuals desire to attend the Survivor's Workshop, but they cannot break away from home due to responsibilities such as work, childcare, etc. While the Survivors Workshop is an essential element of treatment at The Meadows, the road tour experience provides an opportunity for these individuals to access this small portion of holistic treatment normally offered on campus.

Speaking about one participant at the Survivor Workshop in Chattanooga, Ron Ashley, Owner of Reflections Counseling said "...before the workshop she was very reserved and had a wall around her. But, afterwards she really came out of her shell and is going into my Tuesday Women's Group."

Future Survivor Workshop National Tour dates are planned for Dallas in September, Chattanooga in October, and West Los Angeles in November. For more information about the Survivor's Workshop, patients and referral sources can contact The Meadows at 800-632-6397.

For over 35 years, The Meadows has been a leading trauma and addiction treatment center. In that time, they have helped over 20,000 patients in one of their four centers or in national workshops. The Meadows world-class team of Senior Fellows, Psychiatrists, Therapists and Counselors treat the symptoms of addiction and the underlying issues that cause lifelong patterns of self-destructive behavior. The Meadows is a Level 1 psychiatric hospital that is JCAHO accredited.